Developing countries, least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) are particularly vulnerable to impact of climate extremes, including drought which could lead to water crisis or severe food shortage.

The start of 2019 has been marked by high impact weather in many parts of the world, including record heat, wildfires and rainfall in South America and Australasia, dangerous and extreme cold in North America, and heavy snowfall in the Alps and Himalayas.

The year 2019 has started where 2018 left off – with extreme weather causing disruption, damage and loss of life. The high impact of these events – some of which are consistent from what we expect as a result of climate change - underline why extreme weather, climate change and environmental risks dominated the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Perception Survey .

Global CO2 emissions are expected to rise by more than 2% in 2018 because of renewed growth in coal use, and continued growth in oil and gas use, according to the latest data from the Global Carbon Budget. Emissions rose 1.6% in 2017 after a temporary slowdown from 2014 to 2016, according to the Global Carbon Project. This year’s publication included contributions from 76 scientists from 53 research institutions, including from the World Climate Research Programme community.

The second session of the Pan-Arctic Climate Outlook Forum (PARCOF-2) was held virtually on 30 October 2018 to review the climate conditions during the previous summer season, and to provide outlook for the forthcoming winter season.

The 32 nd Meeting of the Adaptation Fund Board, which was held in Bonn, Germany on 9-12 October 2018, has endorsed a USD 7.92 million regional proposal submitted by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) entitled “Integrating Flood and Drought management and early warning for climate change adaptation in the Volta Basin.” The targeted project countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali and Togo.

The World Meteorological Organization and the China Meteorological Administration have set up a trust fund to underpin regional cooperation on the Belt and Road Initiative. The trust fund will facilitate...